Acts 8:31
29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that chariot and stay by it.”
30 So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth.
33 In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.”
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
- KJV
- And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
- WEB
- He said, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” He begged Philip to come up and sit with him.
- ASV
- And he said, How can I, except some one shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him.
- DARBY
- And he said, How should I then be able unless some one guide me? And he begged Philip to come up and sit with him.
- BLB
- And he said, “How indeed could I be able, unless someone will guide me?” And he invited Philip, having come up, to sit with him.
- ÅB
- Han svarte: Hvordan skulle jeg vel kunne det uten at noen veileder meg? Og han ba Filip stige opp og sette seg hos ham.
- OTB
- Han svarte: "Hvordan kan jeg det, med mindre noen veileder meg?" Og han inviterte Filip til å komme opp og sitte med ham.
- B1930
- Han svarte: Hvorledes skulde jeg vel kunne det uten at nogen veileder mig? Og han bad Filip stige op og sette sig hos ham.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Romans 10:14
How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach?
Read in contextIsaiah 29:18–19
On that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of the deep darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
Read in contextPsalms 73:16–17
When I tried to understand all this, it was troublesome in my sight
Read in contextProverbs 30:2–3
Surely I am the most ignorant of men, and I lack the understanding of a man.
Read in contextPsalms 25:8–9
Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He shows sinners the way.
Read in contextMatthew 18:3–4
“Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Read in context1 Corinthians 8:2
The one who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.
Read in context2 Kings 5:26
But Elisha questioned him, “Did not my spirit go with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to accept money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, menservants and maidservants?
Read in context